This application is a continuation in parts of PCT/IL99/0052 filed Jan. 28, 1999.
The present invention relates to a shoe including an adjustable arch support.
Flatfoot, the cause of which is not well understood, essentially consists of the depression or collapse of the arch of the foot, produced by a disproportion between the weight to be borne and the muscles to bear it. This condition not only affects a person""s gait, but may also produce internal rotation of the tibia, knee and femur during walking. It also reduces pelvic tilt, which is liable to lead to spinal scoliosis.
Treatment of flatfoot aims at restoring the arch to its proper shape and maintaining that shape during activity. Apart from very severe cases where surgical intervention might be indicated, the above aim is achieved by use of arch supports, of which there exist any number of designs.
A serious disadvantage of the known arch supports (the better ones of which cannot be bought off the shelves, but must be individually fitted) resides in the fact that, once fitted, their shape, i.e., the degree of their support, is permanent and unalterable, while the demands on the arch during a leisurely walk differ from those prevailing during strenuous sports activities. While a normal arch can cope with these differences, the collapsed or weak arch is either over-corrected for moderate activities or under-corrected for strenuous ones.
It is thus one of the objects of the present invention to provide an arch support that can not only be adjusted for a specific activity, but also provides reproducibility for such an adjustment if it is found to give favorable results.
According to the invention, the above objective is achieved by providing a shoe having a fixed insole and an upper, and being provided with an adjustable arch support comprising an arch support strap substantially of the width of the wearer""s instep and fixedly attached at one of its ends to, or integral with, said insole at a point substantially below said instep and in the vicinity of the median line of said insole, said strap extending towards the right in a left shoe and towards the left in a right shoe, and having a main portion and a free end portion; eyelet means provided on the lip of the left lacing flap of said upper in the left shoe and on the lip of the right lacing flap of said upper in the right shoe, wherein, with the wearer""s foot inside the shoe and resting on a first portion of said strap, said strap is passed from below through said eyelet means and pulled tight, until the wearer""s arch has been raised to a desired position, after which said strap is doubled back upon itself and attached to the lateral outside surface of said upper with the aid of attachment means, characterized in that said strap comprises means responsive to the tension applied to said strap and that it includes indicating means for rendering said tension reproducible.